Spatial relations, histories from below and the makings of agency: Reflections on The Making of the English Working Class at 50

Featherstone, D. and Griffin, P. (2016) Spatial relations, histories from below and the makings of agency: Reflections on The Making of the English Working Class at 50. Progress in Human Geography, 40(3), pp. 375-393. (doi: 10.1177/0309132515578774)

Abstract

In this paper we propose a conversation between work in labour history and labour geography, in part centring on the formative contribution of E.P. Thompson. We contend that the commitment to multiple and political forms of agency and working-class experience and the positioning of class as process, which are lasting contributions of The Making of the English Working Class, offer resources for re-invigorating debates on agency within labour geography and beyond. The paper scrutinizes the spatial politics at work in Thompson’s account of agency and experience through drawing on critiques of Thompson by feminist and post-colonial scholars. The paper explores the significance of Thompson’s work for asserting a spatial politics of labour and argues for attention to the diverse agentic spatial practices shaped through labour organizing and struggles. The paper concludes by setting out some key aspects of the terms of a conversation between labour geographies and labour histories.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Featherstone, Professor David and Griffin, Mr Paul
• Authors: Featherstone, D., and Griffin, P.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Geographical and Earth Sciences
• Journal Name: Progress in Human Geography
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• ISSN: 0309-1325
• ISSN (Online): 1477-0288
• Published Online: 08 April 2015
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2016 SAGE Publications
• First Published: First published in Progress in Human Geography 40(3):375-393
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher